Andrew Falk
) | gender = Male | affiliation = Free Planets Alliance | rank = (former) | status = Deceased (murder) | died = 1 June | actor = Furuya Tōru }} Andrew Falk (Japanese: アンドリュー・フォーク) was a of the Free Planets Alliance who was notable for his part in the Alliance invasion of Imperial territory in mid- . He was also involved (albeit briefly) in the plot to assassinate Yang Wen-li in . Military career Having graduated at the head of his class from the Free Planets Alliance Officer Academy, Falk entered the military and rose to the rank of , in the Staff Office of General Headquarters, by . Lassalle Lobos thought very highly of him, and his concurrence of Willem Holland's Operation Waltz on D-Line was a key factor in the plan being adopted, leading to the Sixth Battle of Iserlohn. ( ) By mid- , Falk had been promoted to commodore. Around that time, he drafted and proposed an operation which would have had the Free Planets Star Fleet invade the territory of the Galactic Empire and liberate its citizens. This proposal was approved by the High Council, in large part as a way to ensure the council members' incumbency in their upcoming election. Falk argued for the expedition — involving eight fleets, 200,000 ships, and over 30 million soldiers — as a noble 'crusade' and dismissed concerns from s Ulanhu and Yang that the plan was vague and overly optimistic. Fleet Admiral Sidney Sithole insinuated, however, that the operation was proposed purely out of greed, as a means to a seat in the High Council and, eventually, the highest rank of the military. ( ) Over the objections, public and private, of several members of the Alliance military and political leadership, the plan went forward in August of . Although more than 200 starzones fell to the Alliance with no resistance, the Imperial military had taken the food stores of the inhabited planets during their evacuation, leaving the Alliance with the obligation to feed the 'liberated' citizens. This represented a significant supply burden on the Alliance, and Rear Support Chief Alex Cazerne surmised that it would ultimately lead to an Imperial attack on the resulting supply lines from Heinessen. Falk dismissed this concern as well, and the High Council subsequently voted to continue the operation. ( ) As Cazerne had predicted, however, the 500-ship supply transport from Heinessen was attacked and completely destroyed. Falk, ostensibly under the orders of Commander-in-Chief Lassalle Lobos, advised the Alliance invasion commanders to procure supplies 'on the spot'. This bred resentment within the Imperial populace, and led in short order to riots on multiple planets. Realising their situation was untenable, the commanders at the front lines requested that they be allowed to withdraw. This request was relayed through Vice Admiral Alexandre Bewcock of the 5th Fleet to Falk, who was stationed at Iserlohn. An argument ensued and, following a series of rebukes from Bewcock, Falk suffered a seizure resulting from conversion disorder and was temporarily blinded. He was then removed from active duty. ( ) In March of the next year, after leaving hospital, Falk accosted HQ Chief Admiral Kubersly at the Strategical Planning Centre on Heinessen. He claimed that his illness had passed, and requested that he be put immediately back on active duty. When Kubersly responded negatively to his request, Falk drew a pistol and shot the admiral in the stomach. Kubersly ultimately survived, and Falk was committed for the next 3 years. ( ) Assassination of Yang Wen-li On 15 April , a suspicious fire occurred at the National Psychiatric Hospital, resulting in 11 dead or missing — including the former Commodore Falk. This fire was part of an abduction plot devised by the Terraist Church under Archbishop De Villier. Having freed Falk, De Villier persuaded him that as a hero of republican democracy it was his duty to stop and kill Yang Wen-li, who at that time was planning negotiations with Reinhard. Falk, by this time quite psychotic, accepted this argument and resolved to assassinate Yang. ( ) In May of that year, following heavy Imperial losses at the Battle of the Corridor, Kaiser Reinhard offered the prospect of peace talks. Although Boris Konev — having discovered the plot — attempted to warn Yang of Falk's intentions, the message did not arrive in time, and Yang departed Iserlohn on the Leda II to meet with the Kaiser. In the early morning hours of 1 June, it was revealed to the Leda II that Falk had commandeered an armed merchant ship and, having already dispatched two Imperial destroyers, was closing in on their position. Unbeknownst to Falk, his part in the assassination plot was never intended to proceed past this point. As his ship began to attack, its two Terraist-controlled Imperial escort vessels opened fire, and Falk was killed. The destruction of Falk's ship earned the trust of Yang's political superiors, who allowed the escort vessels to dock, ultimately leading to the deaths of Yang and numerous others. ( ) Appendices Appearances * ** (first appearance) ** ** ** ** ** (final appearance; death) Name variations *'Andrew Falk' (DVD subtitles) *'Andrew Fork' (LD subtitles) *'アンドリュー・フォーク' (LD/DVD subtitles — Japanese) *'Andlew Fork' (Japanese fan sources) Apocrypha Manga Falk appears in Volume 4 and Volume 6 of the manga. His physical appearance and his involvement in the events surrounding the invasion of the Empire, as well as the attempted assassination of Kubersly, are nearly identical to those of the OVA. Falk andrew